Barefootin'
by ginchy-amanda
Summary: A private moment for Chandler and Monica at their wedding...


This is for "TOW Monica and Chandler's Wedding Week" over at Merge! on Friends Boards. It's been a LONG time since I've watched "TOA I Do". So, if there are any embarrassing mistakes or wrong time-lines, then...that's my fault. I'm buying the Season 8 DVD's in November, though! I also did read the transcript for the episode, so hopefully this is within the realm of possibility. (crosses fingers) Oh, and just remember...Monica doesn't know yet that Ross is the father of Rachel's child.

Barefootin'

Monica exited the bathroom where she had just found out that one of her best friends was going to have a baby. She had a few happy tears drying on her cheeks, but she was sure no one else in the room was as radiant as she was at that moment. Not only had she married the man of her dreams, she was happy, healthy, and about to be the "aunt" (even if she wasn't blood related to it) of Rachel's child. The music was still going, a slow sweet song was playing and a few couples swayed together on the dance floor. She caught site of Joey following Chandler's Mother's date around, hoping for the audition that he probably wouldn't get. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and began scanning the room for her husband.

Her _husband_. Wow. She, Monica Geller, had a husband. Well, Monica Bing was her name now, actually...Monica wrinkled her nose. Maybe she'd have to rethink the "Bing" part...but she'd think about that later. Right now, she just wanted to bask in her happiness with her husband.

As if on cue, two strong arms wrapped around her from behind and a warm voice spoke into her ear. "Hey, babe. Do you think your husband would mind if I stole a dance with you?"

Monica giggled...husband! "Well, I don't guess he'd mind..." she purred, turning in his arms. She turned serious, looking up into Chandler's blue eyes. "But, what about your slippery feet?"

Chandler looked sheepish and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What have you done?" she asked.

Instead of answering he merely looked down toward the floor. Monica's eyes followed suit and she gasped when she saw his bare toes peeking out from under his suit pants.

"Exactly how much have you had to drink?" She asked, not quite believing that he was really planning on dancing with her in his bare feet.

"Just enough for me to do this..." he said, pulling her to a chair and carefully sitting her in it. He knelt down in front of her and picked up one of her feet in his hands. "Look...I really want to dance one dance with you at our wedding and not look like a supreme dork. I mean...I know that I usually look like a dork...but tonight—I don't want to be a dork."

"You could start by saying 'dork' less." Monica suggested, helpfully.

Chandler scrunched up his nose and nodded, sarcastically thanking her. He took her white high-heel off, caressing her stocking-clad foot in his hand. "So," he said, dangling the shoe from his finger, "what do you say?"

Monica looked around at the remaining guests. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, and out of the corner of her eye she noted that Phoebe and Rachel had left the bathroom and were talking to each other quietly, by the buffet. "I don't know, Chandler...I don't want to take my shoes off! This is a formal wedding. Phoebe will probably be the one to have the barefoot wedding." She pouted out her lips.

Chandler, undeterred, began running his hand up her leg. Her eyes grew wide as he began caressing her calf, and even wider when his hand moved to tickle her gently behind her knee. "Keep that up," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "and I won't care about dancing..."

Chandler chuckled, "So then, come on...one dance—barefoot. Then we get the heck out of here..." She noticed how dark his eyes had become, and wondered if he even still cared if they danced for not.

Against her better judgment and biting her lip, Monica nodded. Who cared that this was an extremely formal wedding? Chandler was right—she wanted at least one decent dance with her husband. And besides, there was something deliciously decadent about Chandler running his hands up her dress and removing her shoes in front of their wedding guests. But, then, maybe she'd been the one to have too much to drink.

He reared up to kiss her before removing her second shoe. He seemed unable to resist running his hand up her leg again, but his time he got a bit further, and Monica laughed when his eyes grew wide after his fingers encountered her garter. "What's this?" he growled at her, looking up with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I felt the removing of the garter in front of all the guests was a big...barbaric...but I still wanted to wear one." She smiled.

Nodding encouragingly, Chandler smiled too. "I think you should wear one everyday," he said, toying with it, causing Monica to gasp again, thinking of what the night had in store for them.

Noticing their friends heading in their direction, she slapped his hands out from under her skirt, and smoothed it demurely, before standing and taking his hand.

"Hey, are you guys leaving soon and heading upstairs?" Ross asked, looking over their shoulders at someone or something.

"Yeah, man," Chandler said, tugging Monica towards the dance floor, "we just want to have one more dance."

They all nodded and Joey winked exaggeratedly at Chandler. He slapped him on the back, hard, causing him to stumble a bit. "Are you sure you don't need my help?"

Chandler glared at him. Joey shook his head, backing off. "Just kidding...yeah. Okay, so—I'm going to go get more cake."

He ran off with Monica yelling after him, "Not the top part! That's for us to keep!"

"Chandler!" Phoebe cried, looking down at the floor. "Where are your shoes? I'm going to be the one with a barefoot wedding. You two are too uptight!"

Monica gasped. "Well, for you information, Phoebe..." Monica hiked up her dress and showed off her bare toes. Dropping the dress she grabbed Chandler's hand and they moved off to the dance floor, but not before hearing Rachel ask Phoebe if she thought that they had had too much to drink.

The band-leader, noticing that the bride and groom were back on the dance floor began playing another slow song, and Monica rested her head against Chandler's shoulder, marveling at the difference his lack of shoes and his 6 weeks of dance training made. She thought of mentioning it, but imagining a joke about his father and dancing lessons she decided against it. Instead, she just allowed herself to move around the dance floor with her husband—_her husband!_—and savor the moment.

Tomorrow there would be worries—she'd no longer be a bride, and Rachel would still be pregnant—father unknown. But, right now, tonight, in her bare feet, Monica Geller was dancing with her husband.

She had been right earlier. No one was as radiant as she.


End file.
